In honor of those whose lives were lost or forever changed by the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, County Executive Robert P. Astorino will join Volunteer New York! and Robison to host "9/11: Serve + Remember" at the Westchester County Center on Friday, Sept. 11, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Special focus will be given this year to the everyday heroes who save lives by donating blood, bone marrow and stem cells, as well as those who volunteer as first responders in their communities.
"Each year I am humbled by how the people of Westchester County come together and give back in memory of September 11, 2001," Astorino said. "This year we are paying special tribute to those volunteers who save lives every day. My deepest thanks goes out to them, and I hope through our efforts at the County Center that we will be able to recruit even more heroes this year."
Westchester County's formal 9/11 memorial ceremony will take place Sept. 11 beginning at 7 p.m. at "The Rising" at the Kensico Dam. The public is invited to attend both events.
Alisa H. Kesten, executive director of Volunteer New York! said: "Each year, #911Day brings our community and hundreds of volunteers closer together through the spirit of unity and compassion – similar to what we all shared after the events of September 11th. This year many of our service projects will be supportive of first responders or give families and individuals a chance to take a life-saving action. Families, individuals and business groups are urged to register as soon as possible."
Register online at www.volunteernewyork.org/service (early registration is encouraged) for opportunities that take place Sept. 11 through Sept. 13 in Westchester and Rockland. Many events are family-friendly and all provide meaningful ways to support local nonprofits and causes. To sign up for the blood drive, please contact Janet Lokay at or (914) 995-2127.
David Singer, president of Robison, said: "Our company, Robison, was built on service – service to our customers and our community. That is why Robison is honored to be able to support this important day for families and individuals of all backgrounds to join together and volunteer. This is an important day in our community to serve and take action."
Service projects taking place at the County Center on Sept. 11 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.:
Write Thank You Cards for Veterans and First Responders
with Volunteer New York!
Make Sleeping Bags for Adults in Need
with Lifting Up Westchester
Pack Swab Kits for Blood Drive
with New York Blood Center
Create No-Sew Fleece Blankets
with Project Linus
Join the Bone Marrow Registry
with Volunteer New York!
Make Paracord Bracelets for the Troops
with Operation Gratitude
Create Educational Games for Children
with Volunteer New York!
Receive Hands-only CPR Training
with the American Heart Association
Donate Blood (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
with New York Blood Center
Free parking will be available in the lot behind the County Center for county employees and members of the public who are giving blood. A shuttle van will transport county employees to the drive from the Michaelian Office Building motor pool area at 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. with return trips provided as well. Each unit of productive blood collected will save up to three lives.
Give to the Early Learners Book Drive
with Open Door Family Medical Center
Contribute to the Food Drive
with Hillside Food Outreach
Sign up for Westchester County Emergency Preparedness Exercise
with Westchester County Department of Health
Additional volunteer event on Sept. 30 for Health Department Drill
The county's Health Department will hold a mass dispensing drill at the Westchester County Center that requires public participation. The drill is to demonstrate that the department can rapidly dispense antibiotics to the public in the event of an anthrax bioterrorism emergency. To learn more and register to participate in this important drill, go to www.westchestergov.com/health.
About Volunteer New York!
The core mission of Volunteer New York! (volunteernewyork.org ) is to inspire, mobilize, and equip individuals and groups to take positive action to address pressing challenges, support nonprofits and improve the quality of life in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam. For the past 65 years the organization has encouraged adults to serve, youth to build character, families to bond, young professionals to lead, mature adults to share their wisdom and businesses to engage through volunteerism. Over 240,000 hours of service were devoted last year to 500 nonprofits at a value of over $7.2 million. Corporate Champions who strongly support the mission of Volunteer New York! are Scent 2 Market, Bunge Limited, New York Life, PepsiCo, Robison Corporation, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, Con Edison, Entergy, Keystone Property Group, M&T Bank, MasterCard, Morgan Stanley, Reader's Digest, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., TD Bank, Xylem Inc., The Dannon Company, The Rollins Agency Inc., Enterprise, IBM, MAG Real Estate Advisors, Inc., O'Connor Davies, LLP, Pentegra Retirement Services, Reckson - Division of SL Green Realty Corp, and RPW Group. Ongoing support is provided by Westchester County, the Corporation for National and Community Service and the New York State Commission on National and Community Service.